Ryan Gosling To Star In Universal's Wolfman Film

Universal Pictures' "Dark Universe" hasn't quite manifested like the studio hoped, but its monster movies are still coming. Ryan Gosling will star in the upcoming Wolfman movie with Derek Cianfance directing, Variety reports.

Details on the Wolfman film are basically non-existent--we don't even have a synopsis yet. We can probably assume someone is bit by werewolf, though. Probably. Leigh Whannell, who helmed 2020's The Invisible Man, was to direct the film, but dropped out due to a scheduling conflict. Cianfrance, with whom Gosling worked on 2010's Blue Valentine, will write the movie in addition to directing.

"Horror movies were my first love--my entry into what cinema was capable of narratively, psychologically, aesthetically," Cianfrance said in an official statement. "Coupled with the opportunity to collaborate with Ryan again, this is truly a dream come true. I'm thrilled and inspired to work with the good folks at Blumhouse and Universal to bring this monster back to life in our collective unconscious."

Universal had big plans for its stable of classic movie monsters, which includes Frankenstein's Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, and more. The studio famously announced "the beginning of a #DarkUniverse," which flamed out almost immediately when Tom Cruise's The Mummy performed poorly at the box office.

Since then, the studio has separated the monsters out, dropping the MCU-style interconnected universe for standalone movies, continuing with the stalker thriller/horror flick The Invisible Man last year (without Johnny Depp as planned). The Wolf Man appears to be the next monster to come back to life.